OBJECTIVES : To assess the psychological impact of COVID-19 on the frontline Healthcare workers (HCWs) and their coping strategies.

METHODS : A web-based, cross-sectional study was conducted among HCWs of the Punjab province of Pakistan. The generalized anxiety scale (GAD-7), patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Brief-COPE were used to assess anxiety, depression and coping strategies of the respondents, respectively. All data were entered and analyzed using the SPSS version 22.

RESULTS : The mean age of respondents (N = 398) was 28.67 ± 4.15 years, with majority of medical doctors (51.5%) followed by nurses (33.4%). The prevalence of anxiety and depression were 21.4% and 21.9%, respectively. There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) of anxiety and depression scores among doctors, nurses and pharmacists. Females had significantly higher anxiety (p = 0.003) and depression (p = 0.001) scores than male HCWs. Moreover, HCWs performing duties in COVID-19 ICU had significantly higher anxiety and depression scores (p = 0.016 and p = 0.018, respectively) than those from isolation wards and other departments. Moreover, depression, not anxiety, score were higher among those who did not receive the infection prevention training. Most frequently adopted coping strategy was religious coping (5.98 ± 1.73) followed by acceptance (5.59 ± 1.55) and coping planning (4.91 ± 1.85).

CONCLUSIONS : A considerable proportion of Pakistani HCWs are having generalized anxiety and depression during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings call for interventions to mitigate mental health risks in HCWs.